DoD: Full Range of Capabilities Available Against North Korean Threat

A US Air Force B-1B Lancer prepares to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during trilateral show of force with Japan and South Korea from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, into Japanese air space and over the Korean Peninsula, Aug. 31, 2017.

Washington, DC – The US Pacific Command detected and tracked what it assessed as a single North Korean ballistic missile launch on September 14 at 5:57 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said here last week.

Pacom’s initial assessment is that the projectile was an intermediate range ballistic missile or IRBM, he added, which is a ballistic missile with a range of 1,864 miles to 3,418 miles.

The missile posed no threat to North America or Guam, Manning told reporters during a briefing.

“Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including [South] Korea and Japan,” he added, “in the face of these threats remains ironclad. We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation and to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against the threat from North Korea.”

Manning said that if the IRBM had been a direct threat to the United States or its allies, “We would have taken appropriate action.”

The launch occurred near Sunan Air Base in Pyongyang and the IRBM headed east, he added, overflying the territory of northern Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean east of Japan.

“The full range of capabilities are at our disposal against the threat from North Korea,” Manning said. “North Korea continues to pose a threat to global security and stability and must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its illegal programs.”